


Thunderstorm

by TheHomieRobbStark



Category: Black Panther (2018)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-06
Updated: 2020-05-06
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:35:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,079
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24032125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheHomieRobbStark/pseuds/TheHomieRobbStark
Summary: The end of the week is finally here! But so is a thunderstorm...
Kudos: 3





	Thunderstorm

The low rumbling raged on in the distance as Homie nervously fidgeted with her sweater, pulling at the sleeves as she paced back and forth in the living room of her Downtown DC apartment. A flash of lightening lit up the sky, and a monstrous crack of thunder sounded off a second later, making her jump in surprise, causing her to nearly collide with the coffee table mid stride. She had to hold out her hands to steady herself, fingers shaking from the mixture of adrenaline and caffeine that raced through her veins.

She hated thunderstorms. Always did. The rain, she loved. The lightening, she found fascinating. But the jarring thunder that seemed to shake the very ground beneath her always managed to put her on edge, every single time. It was the loud, sudden viciousness of it that announced its presence and demanded attention that made her heart start to race and sent shivers up her spine.

Checking the clock, she noted the time. 9:33pm. Damn. She still had a couple pages left of her report for the Mitchell account, and she wanted to get it completed and sent off to her assistant for notes so they could enjoy the rest of the weekend in peace. She'd gotten distracted when the storm had started about half an hour ago and had completely forgotten about it. Taking a deep breath, she plopped herself back on her spot on the couch and picked up her pen, trying to focus her mind on her work.

~~~~~

Across town, Erik had just finished up at the center before packing his things and heading out, pulling his gray wool overcoat on as he said goodnight to the security guard.

"Aight Marcus, Imma catch you on Monday, you stay warm out here and have a good weekend ya heard?" He calls out to his friend, giving him an air dap as he walks toward the elevator.

"Same to you Mr. Stevens. You take care of that pretty girl of yours, or I will!" The older man chuckles, returning the dap as he waves goodbye.

"Aye, watch yaself OG," Erik jokes with him, waving back while heading out of the lobby and into the elevator.

Riding down to the 3rd floor, he exits and quick paces over to his 2019 Acura NSX, dumping his laptop case in the trunk before climbing into the front seat. He speeds out of the parking garage and onto the street, immediately noticing the weather as soon as his tires hit the pavement.

It was pouring outside, the water cascading down his windshield in rivers that were swept aside every half second by the windshield wipers. All week it had been excruciatingly cold with no rain, but mother nature decided to switch up tonight. He couldn't wait to get home to his baby girl and snuggle up with her in this perfect cuddle weather, ready to let the stresses of the week melt away by the fireplace with her arms wrapped around him.

Orienting the car towards home, Erik stepped on it, smoothly navigating his way through the streets of Georgetown to get to Homie's apartment. While stopped at a light, a bone aching clap of thunder broke out through the night sky, so strong he could feel the earth tremble beneath his car.

His mind immediately went to the thought of Homie, and how she was holding up during all of this.

He knew she hated thunderstorms, even though it was something she'd never actually admitted it to him.

"How ironic that between thunder and lightening, I'd end up being afraid of the one thing that can't hurt you." She laughs, her pretty teeth flashing while she rolls her eyes at herself.

It was her favorite joke to tell whenever it stormed in DC, her way of sarcastically trying to write off one of her biggest fears.

While others may have believed her little attempts at humor, he knew her better than that. He could tell by the way she shifted her eyes to the floor and fidgeted with the hair behind her ear the first time he heard her say it that there was something more there.

So he took it upon himself from then on to make sure that whenever the weather was stormy he would be there to comfort her during one of her most vulnerable times.

He knew exactly what she needed, and when the light turned green, he made a U-turn to head back in the direction of his babygirl's salvation.

~~~

Cradling a mug of chamomile and lavender tea in her hands, Homie makes the last edits to her document before pressing enter, effectively sending it off to her assistant for proofreading. Sitting back, she inhales the scent of honey and lavender to calm her nerves before taking a delicious sip of the hot drink.

She always made sure to keep a package of her favorite tea handy for times like these, when she needed to relax and clear her mind. She was just reaching the fifth rep of her breathing exercise when another explosion of thunder rang out through the air, forcing her eyes open and bringing her mind back to the present.

Gripping the mug, she tries to reason with her body to let go of the tension when she hears her front door unlock, the sound of shuffling and plastic bags filling the space.

She see's Erik pop his head out from around the corner, Target bags in each hand while what looks like a thin book-like case is wedged between his lips, keeping him from immediately greeting her.

"Hey baby! What is all this?" Homie asks, placing her cup on the coffee table and hopping up to help her boyfriend. "I didn't know you were coming by tonight."

She reaches for the item stuck in his mouth first but he grunts in disapproval, dropping one of the bags to swat her hand away. He takes the item and holds it away from her, turning his body away to tuck it into the pocket inside his coat.

"Ah ah ah, not yet. I ain't even get my kiss yet and you already being greedy." He sticks his face out and puckers his lips for a kiss, and she rolls her eyes laughing at her annoying boyfriend before placing a sweet kiss on them.

"Whatever, ain't nobody even ask you to come over," she mutters against his lips, goading him. "What even is all this..." she says, slyly trying to peek into one of the bags still in his hand.

"Uh-uh, not yet. Go put on your pajamas and come back when you done." he orders, closing the bags to keep their contents from her sight.

"Ughhh are you serious?" She throws her head back and fake whines, giving him an adorable pout coupled with a pair of gigantic innocent looking eyes.

"Yes babygirl, I'm serious!" He laughs at her, turning her with one hand and patting her behind to get her moving. "You gon like it I swear. Don't rush tho! I need a minute."

For the sake of dramatics, she shuffles her feet in the direction of her bedroom, head still thrown back while she gives a loud huff of disagreement.

"And don't forget to grab lil homie!" He yells after her once she's out of sight, hearing her soft grunt in response acknowledging that she heard him.

With her busy in her room, he clears her coffee table before reaching into the bags and taking out items, placing them around. Heading over to the kitchen, he opens the fridge and places something in it before popping open the microwave and tossing something in there, pressing one of the preset options.

Meanwhile, Homie was in her bathroom performing her nighttime routine, brushing her teeth while the bubbling mask worked away at her smooth brown skin. She'd changed into her silk pajama shorts and tank top despite how cold it was in the house, fuzzy slippers keeping her toes warm.

Homie always had an elevated body temperature no matter what the weather outside, but she always liked the feeling of being a little cold, especially during the winter time because it helped her get comfy better. While she wasn't expecting any visitors, she was so grateful her boyfriend had come by to keep her company. She really didn't want to be alone tonight.

Rinsing out her mouth and washing the remnants of the mask off, she stops by the bench at the end of her bed to scoop up her favorite stuffed animal before making her way back into the living room.

She stops in the hallway, calling out to Erik first to make sure it's okay to come back.

"Okaay," she sing-songs, chin resting on top of the cute stuffed pigs head. "You ready?"

"I'm ready baby, come on in." she hears him answer, and steps out into the room, spotting him on the couch.

It's a lot dimmer than when she left, her lights turned down to a soft setting as the room glows in different places.

On the coffee table are two lit candles, both coconut and vanilla from what she can smell, on either side of the table, with an assortment of her favorite snacks laid out in the middle. Pocky Sticks, Green Tea Kit-Kats and a huge bowl of popcorn fill in the space (kettle corn no doubt), with two smaller bowls of grapes on each side.

She looks up at the bookcases next to her TV to see baby pineapple LED nightlights staggered on the shelves, each emitting a soft hue in different colors.

She can see that her DVD player is on, but the TV is in idle mode keeping her from seeing the movie he picked out.

"Erik..." she starts, her voice wavering a little as emotion starts to take over her. Tears threaten the corners of her eyes as she hugs her stuffed animal closer to help keep her grounded.

"Come sit baby," Erik says softly, patting the spot next to him on the couch. He watches her calmly as she makes her way over to him, collapsing onto the couch and burying her face in his shoulder.

"Whats all this for?" she muffles into him, and he can tell she's crying now from the little spots of wetness creeping through his shirt and her tiny sniffles. He hugs her close and kisses her head, rubbing her back gently to help soothe her.

"Because I know how nervous thunder makes you, and that even though you don't like to talk about it, it bothers you." he makes sure to choose his words carefully to ease his way into the conversation. She was never really one for outright emotional vulnerability. (They were gonna work on that, tho)

"Look at me sweetie," he pulls at her chin, and she lets him, revealing her tear streaked face as she looks him in the eyes.

"I want you to know I got you baby. I always gotchu, and I'mma always take care of you, okay?" His eyes shift as he looks between hers, trying to soak up every emotion she's feeling to make sure she understands how serious he is.

She nods, and he runs the knuckles of his hand over her cheek as a silent plea to say it with her words.

"Okay, baby. I understand." she assures him, and grabs his hand, kissing it. She leans up, taking his face in her hand and softly scratching at his beard, running her thumb over his lips. She kisses him deeply, letting herself melt into him as they revel in the sensual emotional connection for a few minutes.

Finally pulling away, she closes her eyes and rests her forehead onto his, whispering to him. "Thank you for always loving me the way I need to be loved."

Erik pecks both her cheeks and grabs the plush throw blanket over the back of the couch to wrap them in before enveloping his arms around her and pushing play on the remote.

As Moana starts to play she grabs a handful of popcorn, feeding them both, and hugs Pua tightly between them as she lays her head on his chest. He doesn't say anything else, but he doesn't need to; with the display of love in front of her she forgets all about the thunderstorm raging outside, and it means more to her than words could ever express.


End file.
